Applying Vinyl Wallpaper to a Light Switch Cover

Wallpaper used to be an old-fashioned way to decorate your home. Now, wallpaper is making a comeback, thanks mainly to peel-and-stick vinyl wallpapers. This type of wallpaper is much easier to apply than traditional wallpaper since you don’t have to worry about wallpaper glue, and you can find it in a variety of colors and modern prints. But what if you want your wallpaper pattern to be utterly seamless on your wall, and your light switch cover is getting in the way? There’s some good news: You can apply wallpaper to light switch plates too! Keep reading to learn how.

Apply Your Wallpaper to the Walls

Before you try to cover the light switch plate, you’ll want to have the rest of your wall already covered. When applying the wallpaper to your walls, you will remove the light switch cover and cut out a rectangle aligned with the opening around your light switch. Press these edges down firmly, so they don’t peel up, then reattach your light switch.

Align an Extra Piece of Wallpaper

Next, you’ll want to get an extra piece of wallpaper and set it over the light switch, aligning the pattern of the extra piece with the pattern on your wall. The pattern must be matched up perfectly, or the light switch won’t blend in well with the rest of the wallpaper. You can ask for help to hold the extra piece still or tape the piece down carefully once the pattern is aligned correctly. With the patterns on the two pieces aligned, use a pencil to mark the corners of the wall plate cover on the top piece of wallpaper, then remove it and set it aside.

Cut the Wallpaper

You’ll need to remove the wall plate again for this next step, so grab that screwdriver again. Lay the extra piece of wallpaper out on a cutting mat, and lay the wall plate on top, aligning it with the markings you made. Cut around the light switch cover, leaving ½” to 1” of extra paper around the edge of the plate; don’t worry, these lines don’t have to be perfectly straight.

Apply the Wallpaper to the Plate

Peel off the backing on your rectangle of wallpaper and apply it to the light switch cover. Make sure you align those marks you made with the corners of the wall plate. Rub it down firmly, then flip the plate over. Trim all four corners on a diagonal, and fold the edges up and over to wrap the sides of the plate and get a clean line. Cut an X in the center of the wallpaper, in the space where the switch will go, and fold the flaps inside the same way you folded the edges.

Poke the screws through their holes to pierce the wallpaper, reinstall your light switch cover, and you’re done!